Learn from the Men

Posted on July 8, 2016

It should be noted, by the way, that women should never be permitted to counsel men about clothes. “No woman,” says author Finis Farr, “really knows anything about men’s clothes. How could she? After all, she’s conditioned to obsolescence, to the principle that things go out of fashion. Well-dressed men know that nothing worth-while is ever outmoded, that a superb tailor’s work is ageless.”

When it comes to shopping for fashion, women usually dominate, buying clothing for their men as well as themselves. But ladies, I have a gauntlet to throw down: Women have a lot to learn from the way men shop. I first sensed this when menswear designer Thom Browne told me that he couldn’t use a fabric unless it felt good “to the hand,” because men won’t buy uncomfortable clothing. Come again? If comfort were the top criterion for selling womenswear, Jimmy Choo would be out of business. Unlike men, women frequently settle for garments that don’t fit well and don’t feel good.

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Sometimes, women have little choice. It has long been an irritating truth that men are offered better-quality clothes for lower prices. Many fashionable women’s clothes—including plenty sold at luxury prices—are made relatively cheaply. “Women do get shortchanged in the market,” says Patrick Gigliotti, a menswear salesman at the venerable Boyd’s Philadelphia department store. Some women who value well-made clothing have even resorted to shopping in menswear departments.

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One reason for the quality difference is trendiness: Because womenswear is more faddish, there’s a perception in the fashion industry that the clothes will be thrown away more quickly. Indeed, fast fashion has trained a generation to seek out throwaway styles.

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Yet tailoring should matter. Women are always looking for clothes that will lift their bottoms and smooth their bulges. That’s exactly the kind of magic that tailoring works. Luckily, with a little education about the way sophisticated men shop, it is possible to buy good-quality womenswear.

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What does it mean to think like a man? Consider the way Jay Kos bought himself a pair of pants in New York last Sunday. Mr. Kos, himself a clothier and the owner of the Jay Kos store on Park Avenue, found a pair of olive wool pants at Soho’s Blue in Green shop. But the pants had to pass a few tests before he took them to the dressing room. First, he felt the wool with his hand to ascertain its weight and softness. He checked the seams for clean stitching—no loose threads. In the dressing room, he squatted to be sure they fit comfortably. Only then did he step out to take a careful look in the store’s biggest mirror and ask the salesman if the pants fit well.

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This isn’t the way most women shop. But it can be.

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A first step is to put less focus on the brand. Logos don’t guarantee fine craftsmanship. Dozens of luxury womenswear brands make high-quality fashions—Dolce & Gabbana and Akris among them. But I’ve found excellently sewn clothes at Zara (though not universally so). Some brands, like Ralph Lauren, have varying quality levels among a dizzying array of sub-brands. Akris offers well-made but lower-quality clothes under the “Akris punto” label. Rather than being blinded by branding, use it only as a starting point.

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When you like a garment, grab the fabric and crunch it up—ignoring any gasps you hear from the womenswear sales staff, who are not accustomed to these maneuvers. If the cloth stays wrinkled or feels scratchy, consider moving on. “You should start from the inside out,” says Debi Greenberg, owner of Louis, a high-end store in Boston that caters to both men and women. Loose threads and ragged seams are signs of poor construction. Look for seams that have been carefully rolled and folded before being stitched down or have been “taped,” or sewn over with a narrow strip of fabric.

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In pants, the waistband is particularly important, as it provides structure and must hold up to sweat, pressure and twisting. In well-tailored pants, the waistband will have two layers of lining, with some structural seams in between. When it comes to pants, Ms. Greenberg recommends Proenza Schouler and Marni at the high end of the price range and Jil Sander for Uniqlo at the more affordable end.

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A good jacket starts with a shoulder that permits comfortable movement and isn’t so stuffed with foam padding that it looks awkward with the arm raised. While you’re peering inside the garment, check out the width of the fabric in the seams. Is there enough to allow the garment to be let out, if necessary? While good men’s clothing is manufactured to be altered, women often have to buy a size larger and then cut the garment down—which can be more costly and difficult.

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It’s a good idea to ask where the garment—and sometimes the fabric—were manufactured. “Men love the story,” says Mr. Kos. “If you’re going to spend the money, then it should come come from a place with a respect for quality.” The country of origin can be an indicator of quality, and it’s certainly a fair indicator of price. Italy, France and Japan are famous for their high manufacturing standards, but their prices are higher than those of lower-labor-cost nations. Still, “made in Italy” is no guarantee, and it’s possible to buy well-made clothes from many parts of the world. The 3.1 Phillip Lim brand makes some high-quality clothing in China with taped inner seams and alterable waistbands. J. Crew buys many quality shirting fabrics and cashmere yarns from Italian factories and then cuts and sews the clothes in less expensive countries.

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Mr. Kos believes that garments and accessories that use a logo as the dominant design feature are more likely to take short cuts with materials or manufacturing. Only after a garment has passed all these tests is it time to try it on. Be sure you can raise your arm in a shirt or jacket and that you can squat (without making the knees baggy) in pants. See if you can breathe easily. There should be no stretch marks across the torso and no gaping buttons. When in doubt, remember what Mr. Gigliotti of Boyd’s says about men’s priorities: “Comfort is paramount.”

I will never understand how different the standards for men and women are, when it comes to fashion. The men have timeless classics, emphasis on silhouette, fabric and actually wear their clothes all year round. We have moronic trends, the clash of colors, impractical clothing borderlining painful, disposable culture and chunky accessories. Arent we are fundamentally the same in spirit ? When did we get classified into a category which picks out outfits and silly sparkles in pink. And the men get lessons on being gentlemanly. We have the fashion bloggers and the men have style bloggers. I believe we have a lot of learn. Here are my favourite male style bloggers :

A classic style blog. He is independant of the runway cycle and delves into building a wardrobe of classics from the heritage brands and some contemporary brands like Ralph Lauren. I find the most inspiring interviews, quotes on style from recent articles, compilation of Bruce Boyers essays, …etc through his posts. I quite like his weekly eBay finds and his brutally honest reviews. My favourite posts : Tribute to Bill Cunningham and Bike Commuting Style.

A well rounded style blog – cars, watches, travel, luggage, heritage clothing, hats, shoes, bikes, pens, James Bond, … the art of being a gentleman. All in editorial quality of a magazine from excellent contributors. My favourite articles : Reason for Being and Unsolicited Thoughts for Young Men.

A passion for style and for the love of high quality clothes. This is one of the most diverse blogs I have come across in terms of well researched essays and is an inspiration for my blog. A discourse on fabrics, seasonal dressing, Alden shoes, tailoring, sale finds, outfit flat lays, knitwear, outerwear, backpacks, … everything ! I sort of wish I was authorized to shop for my husband, whenever I read his blog. He has great advice. My favourite articles : Who had style in 1985 and The Early Days of Armani.

I seem to find more inspiration on investing in the classics, chasing craftsmanship, pairing colors, fabrics and tailoring from the menswear side of fashion. The longevity and expectation from a ‘classic’ is higher for men. I would like such standards for myself. I never want my blog to become a blog centered around outfits. I want mine to be a style blog and my journal. These men inspire me and set the bar high. Do give them some of your reading time and you won’t be disappointed.

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13 Comments

Archana- I kid you not, you are expanding my knowledge on fashion and clothing by a mile. While I have intuitively and through my own past experiences, gravitated to superb quality and consequently high prices- BOOM- over the years, you have helped me articulate my thoughts of minimalism vs frugality, conspicuous consumption vs quiet indulgence of daily luxuries.

I love that you share your thoughts and your inspiration blogs in such a ahem- intelligent manner. Bravo!!

Maybe it is more difficult to feign well made suits than women fashion. Quality and classics in men fashion change only a little during the time.
We could certainly learn a lot from well curated men wardrobe,a little goes a long way.

Women get often easily bored and could buy a lot of less quality things. Young people are often not very well educated about fabric,cut,fibers,origin….and all of these matters

We,my grandmother,my mother and me,always had seamstresses ,beside buying ready-to-wear clothes,(so,during the process, you were learning about the clothes and fabrics and cut,we had to think about it,to choose,to feel,to make some mistakes and learn from it….),even one mens tailor for coats and my father always had his suits custom made. It was considered backwards some twenty,thirty years ago-everybody used to buy all clothes ready to wear. My last seamstress is a woman of certain age now and she quited sewing and became a painter-isn’t it cool? I miss her very much although I have another seamstress for adjustments (and ,really,you often need to alter something to suit your body),she is very good but don’t want to make new things. I am still learning things from her

I had a friend at the university,she had a skirt suit perfectly made by her father’s tailor-she has worn almost only this suit for a year and was among the most elegant students IMO (of course,to quote Lady Sarah,she also had the beautiful posture)

I like to wear men shirts,especially at the sea side-I use it like a cover

Don’t worry Archana,you are writing great posts,I like your blog very much!!
Thank you for sharing some great reads again
Dottoressa

The ready-made market was looked down upon until the 90’s in India too. Tailors became scarce and things started changing after. Everything I wore till I was 21, was made by one tailor. I adore that ‘uncle’ and miss him now that I am away. If ever I move back to India, I will design my own clothes again. I really miss it. Perhaps once day, I will find a seamstress in San Francisco who won’t change me hundreds of dollars to make something.

My father gets his pants stitched from a tailor who owns his own fabric store. That store is the most dreamy place in the world. You can find linens in every color, oxfords and poplins, tweed, wool, etc. I do miss getting clothes made.

I can learn a lot from my father. He doesn’t own excess and has his uniform down. My husband is not a big shopper and buys carefully. The men do have a lot to teach.

I am stealing my husbands shirts all the time. Sleep shirts, coverups, hiking, everyday – so many ways to style a mens shirt.

My husband dresses much better than me- he said he cannot believe how women can dedicate so much time reading fashion magazines, going to shows etc and still not know anything about how to dress. He has about 4 brands he buys from, socks/ underwear/ basics from one place I cannot remember- it’s a British brand, jackets & suits from Zegna and shirts from lanvin. Oh and shoes from grenson. That’s it- done!

I want to get my husband a cashmere sweater this year so that I may borrow it. Give him a taste of it so that he will never buy acrylic again. I am still secretly working on getting him used to better fabrics and the prices that go along with it. He does half of his shopping on one fateful day of the year and I do the other half. He would be walking around with shoes with holes in them if I didn’t intervene.

If I may ask, why shirting from Lanvin ? Better fabric or is it the fit or a brand that is familiar ?

I read that if you wash your sweater 100 times, it gathers enough plastic to constitute 11,000 plastic bags and its all going into the ocean. (A patagonia study on fleece jackets ). It started bothering me since.

But yes, I hope to educate through inspiration, not instruction. I have to let it go.

Yes – I read the exact same thing. Basically acrylic hoodies are the devils work and poison the oceans with plastic micro molecules eventually getting into our food chain. I don’t buy any acrylic myself, but if I started saying this to everyone I meet wearing one, I am afraid I’d have no friends left.
It’s good to write about it though- I think that’s more powerful and people take less Luke personal criticism. Though you would not believe the angry emails I get sometimes….

I get emails about how I spend too much money on my clothes when ever i talk about a designer handbag or investing in quality. It makes me sad for a minute and I get over it. Yes, no screaming about pollution to everyone we meet. Husbands are fair game though.